Posts Tagged ‘Beatles’

“I became a dope smoker.” * Fox News anchor Geraldo Rivera revealed on Fox & Friends Friday that the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan changed his life–for better or for worse. As the final hour of F&F commenced, the show opened anew on the plaza with the Beach Boys playing “Surfin’ U.S.A.” in their debut on the “All American Summer Concert Series.” Segueing to the curvy couch, guest co-host Clayton Morris intoned, “I think [that] this is the song that changed Geraldo’s life, Geraldo Rivera.”

Animatedly, Geraldo answered, “It did! It did! It was right from 1963.” Elaborating, as he animatedly moved to the music, Geraldo remarked, “I was at Maritime College in the Bronx, Fort Schuyler: I was going to have a military career. That song came out: I said to my friend Frankie de Checko (sp?) out on Long Island, ‘Come on: we’re going.’ We got into the old Chevy; we hit Route 66; [and we] went to California. And, my whole life changed because of the Beach Boys.” Laughing, he added, “And, the rest is history!”

Chiming in, F&F co-host Brian Kilmeade jested, “And, if it was [sic] the Beatles, you would have moved to London?” Grinning puckishly and gesticulating amiably, Geraldo riposted, “The Beatles is why I got long hair: So, I was very easily impressible.” Ever the open book, he added, “And, then Dylan: I became a dope smoker!”

When The Five returned for their penultimate segment yesterday to a strawberry shortcake birthday cake (Kimberly’s fave) and the Beatle’s “Birthday” tune, Kimberly sexily shimmied in her short red dress seated next to an appreciative Bob, who awkwardly danced along with her. Soon after the music ended, Bob announced Kimberly’s “21st birthday,” kidded her about the “special friend [that she had] brought with [her],” and asked her for her fondest memory of her “first” one. Pulling her hair back sensually, a chagrined Kimberly cooed, “So, listen. I only recently became a lot of fun, Bob: I know you may find this hard to believe.”

Randily, Bob replied, “No, baby, that’s not what I hear.”

Giggling, Kimberly responded, “That’s terrible.” Then, she continued, “But, on my twenty-first birthday, I was at UC, Davis–very nerdy, academic school….I ended up being the designated driver on my twenty-first birthday, and no one objected!…So, there I was with my glasses…so thick [that] I could see into the future. And, I was driving everybody and everyone [else] had a great time.”

Laughing, Bob riposted, “I was the designated drunk on my birthday. That’s why I can’t remember one of them.”

Subsequently, after having Kimberly blow out birthday candles, Bob asked Eric if he remembered what he did on his twenty-first birthday. Soberly, Eric responded, “I, I was knee deep in a baseball season…March of…’84 playing baseball on my way to…making a career out of baseball for a while: So, I probably didn’t celebrate as much as I could have.”

Dismissively, Bob jibed, “Really? Well, that was an interesting story. Okay, Dana?” Furrowing her eyebrows, a chuckling Dana answered, “Mine is not that great. I, it wasn’t like Kimberly where I was the designated driver. But, I just remember [that] I came home from college and there were a bunch of my friends home in Parker, Colorado, and we got together at my parents’ house.” With, a seemingly feigned nonchalance, she added, “And, I think, I guess we probably went to a bar. I don’t really, I don’t remember. It wasn’t that memorable.”

When Bob asked Andrea for her anecdote, she rhetorically queried, “So, I’m, apparently, the only one who had a great twenty-first birthday?” Smiling slightly, She remarked, “I don’t remember all that much. Isn’t that the point of a twenty-first birthday?” Elaborating, she said, “I went to a place called the Crocodile Rocks–classy, classy. My sister, who always wants to go out with me–my birthday is December 30th–so no one ever wants to go out on the 30th ’cause they don’t won’t to ruin themselves for New Year. Not my sister, though. She says, ‘We’re going to Crocodile Rocks [and] we’re inviting all your friends.” And, I did twenty-two shots.”

Amazed, Kimberly exclaimed, “No, you didn’t!” Shamelessly, Andrea answered, “I puked at sixteen but I did make it to twenty-two. As incredulous Kimberly rejoined, “How did you live through that? Are you serious?, Dana interjected, “But, why twenty-two?” Chuckling, Andrea explained, “One for good luck. And, look where it brought me!”

Not to be outdone by Andrea, a rambling Bob replied, “I got to tell you. The only reason I remember that far back on my twenty-first birthday [is that] I was in the hospital the night of my twenty-first birthday because I got drunk and I was walking out of a bar and I fell over a bunch of garbage cans that had glass in them and I cut myself a little bit. That wasn’t so bad except that I rolled in it for fun and then I went to the hospital. But, I was okay….But, I don’t remember much of it.”

Get back, get back to where you once belonged. After Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Clayton Morris “corrected” his co-anchor Alisyn Camerota today, she may have hummed this Beatles refrain under her breath for the rest of the show. Or, simply thought aloud that he should remember her proper place on the curvy couch.

As F&FW returned from commercial break mid show, it began with a segment entitled, “NBC Airs New Jay Leno Promo: Underhanded Dig at Conan O’Brien?” After the clip ran, Aly asked, “What’s the dig?” Clayton replied, “Did you hear that song in the background? Of course, made famous by the Beatles, Get Back….It’s almost as if they’re sort of wiping away the fact that Conan ever existed on NBC at that time.” Guest co-host Peter Johnson, Jr., facetiously interjected, “Maybe, you’re right. I mean, if you play it backwards, maybe, it’s an attack on David Letterman.”

When Aly subsequently queried, “Is it like the time on Dallas? Is it Dallas where they woke up from a dream after a year?” Almost dismissively, Clayton quickly replied, “No that was Bob Newhart. That was the Newhart show.” As she looked down at her notes to prepare to read the headlines, she softly responded, “Okay.”

Actually, Aly was right. The seventh year of the drama Dallas is known as the “dream season.” In the previous season, the character of Bobby Ewing (played by Patrick Duffy) had been killed off and the show continued without him during this seventh season. However, when the actor decided to return to the series, the producers brought him back in the last scene of the finale through the dream device. I.e., season seven had been a “bad dream” for both Pamela Ewing and the viewers.

Ironically, as to Clayton’s comment about Newhart, the entire eight years (1982-1990) of that series were wiped away in its final episode. At the conclusion of that show, Bob Newhart awakened to his 1970’s series The Bob Newhart Show wife Suzanne Pleshette. In a satirical reference to the Dallas “dream season,” he suggests that it had all been a strange dream.

Perhaps, another mea culpa from Clayton tomorrow? Today, the history buff laudably made one as to a mistake about the history of Medicare. (After saying that it was enacted during Truman’s tenure, he later acknowledged that it was actually LBJ and that Truman was its first beneficiary.) However, he has not made another as to Aly re Dallas yet: when the author Tweeted that she was indeed right, Clayton replied, “[W]hy do you know that?” In response to his oddly phrased query, I answered that I remembered it and gave him a Guardian cite.

In Clayton defense, most of the remainder of F&FW was dedicated to coverage of the death of Al Haig, Nixon’s White House chief of staff (during Watergate) and Reagan’s Secretary of State (infamously during the assassination attempt aftermath).

Not yet. American Morning co-anchor John Roberts has not quite dropped the “f” bomb but he came ever closer today. Less than two months ago, he used the hybrid “frucking” in frustration at a teleprompter’s bad info.* Today he went one step further and exclaimed, “WTF!”

During a “Best Band in the Land” segment which ranked the top acts, the rankings were as follow: Beatles at #1, Elvis at #5, Carrie Underwood #9, Jimi Hendrix #11, and Madonna #17. John, the Hall of Fame former MuchMusic veejay, said, “Wow! Wait a minute. Carrie Underwood at #9? I like Carrie Underwood just fine but WTF with her being in the top ten!” After audible ooh’s and laughter from the crew, John asked, “I didn’t do it again, did I?”

Chuckling, co-host Kiran Chetry disingenously declared, “I don’t know what that means!” Laughing, John responded, “What the flip? What the flip is she is doing in the #10 or #9 spot?”

Yes, John: You did it again! Now where does Britney rank on that list?

Today Fox & Friends’ “News by the Numbers” seemed more like “Michael Jackson Fan Fiction” by Steve Doocy.* In this segment “dedicated to the career of Michael Jackson,” Steve claimed that Jackson was the “only artist ever to get in twice” into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and that Jackson’s thirteen Grammys and number one hits were both “record-setting.” Not quite.

As to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Steve, at least, forgot Paul McCartney who was inducted as a member of the Beatles and as a solo artist.** With regard to Grammys, Stevie Wonder with 22 surpasses Jacko (13) as a solo male artist.*** Likewise, pertaining to record number one singles, Elvis Presley, Rock & Roll’s King, with 17 bests Pop’s King (13).****

Speaking of records, who was fact-checking F&F’s record today?

[There is no doubt that Michael Jackson was an incredible talent. As his life is memorialized, there is no need to over-hype. Appreciate him for he was: another great conflicted artist.]

She’s back! Christy Lane has saccharinely serenaded F&F fans since the days of Juliet Huddy and Mike Jerrick. Now like the unwelcome ghost from Christmas past she is at it again with her endless holiday music commercials on F&F. Her ad says, “Her voice has captured the world.” The author is reminded of the old Slim Witman commercial claiming that he “was number one in England longer than Elvis and the Beatles.” Enough!